Door spindle lock nut



Sept, l, 1931. F. J. wEsTRoPE DOOR SPINDLE LOCK NUT Filed Jan. 7, 1931 i r. t s, Lww mW Wim Fred i 30 is brought to Patented Sept. l, 1931 narra stares y 4After OFFICE nenn J. wns'rsorn, or nnfrnorr, milonic-An, Assis-Non 'Jo THE MURRAY oonroaarion or armaron, A CORPORATION or ymanirwana icoonV srinnzcn LOOK nur Application led January 7, 1931. VSerial No. 507,066.

This invention relates to improvements in door latches, morev especially for the upholstered doors of automobiles, and more particularly to the means 'for .securing the end or" the handle spindle on the inner side ot the door. f l Y The vehicle doorsnow use Yupon automobiles consist ygenerally in an outer panel and an inner panelk oft light sheet metal.

rFliese panelsv form the inner and outer faces of the door, and the door latch includes a handle incchamsm'which has a spindle securet thereto which is inserted through the door from the outer side.y The latch mech- 15 anisinis usually contained between the two panels where it is operatively engaged by the spindle. y

in order to permit ready assembly and disassembly oi. the handle mechanism -or the `purpose of repair or 'for the purpose of changing the latch mechanism, the inner end of the spindle is removably secured'by a retaining screw which is inserted into the end of `the spindle from the inner side ot the door. the head of the'screw being flush with or exposed through the upholstery or trim on the face of the inner panel. ln this type Ot' A develop. f Clince the head of the locking screw stery or trim, the head frequently pulls down into the fabric, ldame-.ging the same, and/or workingv looseaud releasing the spindie. N

rlhe present invention contemplates a reinedv for overcoming thedefects mentioned abbve, by ther provision of a leclringmeans for retaining the screw, which also serves as aspacer tor spacing the head oi the screw from the surface of the door substantially the thickness of the upholsteryy and thereby prevent damage to the upholstery.

i @ther objects of the invention, not at this tiineniore Vparticrlarly enumerated, will become more readilyapparent as the nature of the invention is betterunderstood. The same consisting in the novel construction, combii nation of the'parts shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

mechanism unsatisfactory conditions beaiidirectly upon the uphol-,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an automobile door having a latch mechanism embodying` the principles of this invention, mounted thereon. l y

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the lines 2-2 of, Fig. 1 and through the latch mechanismv casing, the edge of the Outer panel being shown in elevation in front of the plane of the section.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view,

taken Vsubstantially along the lines S--SoztVm Fig. 2, with parts broken away.

' Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the retaining screw head spaced and locking nut.

The outer panel is shown at 10 and the inner panel or lock board is shown at 12, which are rigidly connected, as by cross membersll; and the latch mechanism is mounted on the lock board 12 as will be understood.

-The handle and associated mechanism 28 is of well linownconstruct-ion and need not be described` in det-ail herein further than that it includes a spindle 16 extendin through an opening 18 in the panel 10. ecured tok the outer end of the spindle 16 is a collar 30, and disposed between the collar and the khandle 28-is a compression spring 32 which positions the handle 28 relative to the escutcheon plate 34 in the conventional manner and prevents rattling there between. The spindle is of the usual square section for engaging in squared bores in the latch mechanism parts which are to be rotated by the handle. he inner end of the spindle extends into the squared bore in the hub portion 56 of the latch roll-back cam. The hub is shouldered at both ends, and is rotatably f supported in and held between the lock board 12and the caseplate 57 which cd thereon as shown.

T he inner end of the spindle 16 is provided with an aXial bore 16, tapped to receive the threaded stem L.i8 of a retaining screw vor stud 52.- A locking nut and spacer 40 having an' interior-ly threaded shank or sleeve 42, and a large flange 44 on its inner end, is provided for locking the retaining screw 52-to the spindle 16-and roll back cam 56 and for spacing the screw head 50 therefrom.

The upholstery 51, on the inner side of the may be mountdoor usually comprises a stiff bottom layer of cardboard or the like, a soft intermediate layer 66 'bf such material as cotton wadding, and theeouter fabric or leather trim facing 68. The inner and bottom layers (i6-G0 are cut away at (l2 to accommodate the flange 44 ofthe nutand lspacer 40, and a hole 43 is provided through the outer fabric 68 for thersleeve 42. 'i Y YThe spindle is insertedrinto the door from the outer side and the inner end is inserte'd into the sqiiared bere of the hub 5G. Theretaining screw 52, is applied by turning its threaded stein Ai8 through the nut and spacer 40 and into the tapped hole 4G inthe inner end 54 `of the spindle 16.

The head 50 of the screw is larger in diameter than the sleeve 42 of the nut and l spacer so that the hole .in the fabric is covered thereby; and the length of the sleeve 42 prevents the he: d 50 from turning' down into or rubbing the upholstery land 'thereby working loose ordamaging the upholstery when the spindle is rotated. The spacer' and nut 40 serves also as a lock nut and prevents the retaining screw 52 from backing out of the tapper bore 46 in the spindle 16.

Vi'lhile I have described but one illustrative embodiment of my invention, many altera tions and omissions may be had without departing from the spirit of the saine, fas defined in the following` claims.

I claim:

l. In a door of the class described having a finished panel disposed on its inner face, a latch mechanism between its faces, a latch operating spindle extending transversely through said door, a rotatable bushing journaled in the inner face of said door 4andreceiving the end of said spindle, means for retaining the end of said spindle in said bushing comprising a screw member having a head disposed exteriorly of said finished panel and having a threaded shank extending through said finished panel and turned into the end of said spindle, a threaded sleeve member turned onto said screw shank and interposed between the head on said shank and said bushing and serving to space the said head from injurious Contact with said finish panel and also to lock said screw member to said spindle and bushing. i

2. In a door of the class described having a finish panel disposed on its inner face, a. latch mechanism between its faces, a latch operating spindle extending transversely through said door, a rotatable bushing journaled in the inner face of said door and receiving the end of said spindle, means for retaining the end of said spindle in said bushing comprising a screw member having a head disposed exteriorly of said finish panel and having a threaded shank extending through said linish panel and turned into the end of said spindle, a threaded sleeve member turned on to said screw shank and interposed between the head on said shank and said bushing and serving to space the said head from injurious contact with said finish panel and also to lock said screw member to said spindle and bushing, said sleeve having an yenlarged end bearing againt the end of said bushing and concealed beneath said finish panel and a reduced portion extending through said finish panel and concealed by the head of said screw member.

3. In a door of the class described having a lfinish panel disposed on its inner face, a latch mechanism between its faces, a latch opening spindle extending transversely through said door, a rotatable bushing journaled in the inner face of said door and receiving the end of said spindle, means for retaining the end of said spindle in said bushing comprising a screw member having a head disposed exteriorly of said finish panel and having a threaded shank extending through said finish panel and turned into the end of said spindle, a threaded sleeve member turned on to said screw shank and interposed between the head on said shank and said bushing and 'serving to space the said head from injurious contact with said finish panel and also to lock said screw member to said spindle and bushing, said sleeve having an enlarged end bearing against the lend of said bushing and concealed beneath said finish panel and a reduced portion `extending through said fin ish panel and concealed by the head of said screw member, and said finish panel having an undercut recess beneath its surface providing clearance for the enlarged end of said sleeve.

4. In a door of the class described having a finish panel disposed on its inner face, a latch mechanism between its faces, a latch operating spindle extending transversely through said door, a rotatable bushing journaled in the inner face of said door and receiving the end of said spindle, means for retaining the end of said spindle in said bushing comprising a screw member having a head ldisposed exteriorly of said finish panel and having a threaded shank extending through lsaid finish panel and turned into the end of said spindle, a threaded 'sleeve member turned onto said screw shank and interposed between the head on said shank and said bushing and serving to space the said head from injurious contact with said finish panel and also to lock said screw member to said spindle and bushing, said sleeve having alaterally extending flange on its inner end providing abearing against the end of said bushing and having its other portion reduced to a diameter less than that of the head of said screw member and extending through the surface of said finish panel.

FRED J. VVESTROPE. 

